Denver Bakery Won’t Be Forced To Bake A Cake With An Anti-Gay Message

A Denver bakery will not be forced to bake a cake with an anti-gay message on it, KMGH (Denver) is reporting.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, in March, 2014, a man entered Denver’s Azucar Bakery and asked the staff to make two cakes for him. At the time, owner Marjorie Silva didn’t specify what, exactly, the customer — later identified as “Christian Educator” Bill Jack — wanted on the cake, and instead gave reporters the general idea.

“He wouldn’t allow me to make a copy of the message, but it was really hateful. I remember the words detestable, disgrace, homosexuality, and sinners.”

In fact, KGMH reports that the customer actually wanted the bakery to make two cakes, both shaped like Bibles. On one, the customer wanted two men in grooms’ attire in front of a cross, with a red X over them, and two Bible verses: “God hates sin. Psalm 45:7” and “Homosexuality is a detestable sin. Leviticus 18:2.” The other would include the same grooms and red X, and different Bible verses: “God loves sinners” and “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.”

Azucar Bakery’s owner agreed to bake the Bible-shaped cakes with the men, but declined to write the messages on them. She offered to compromise with the customer by selling him the tools he would need to write the messages himself, but he declined. Instead, he took his complaint to Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) — the state agency that monitors discrimination complaints against businesses.

“I believe I was discriminated against by the bakery based on my creed. As a result, I filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights division.”

On Friday, DORA ruled that Azucar Bakery acted within its rights by refusing to make the cakes, according to The Washington Post. Specifically, the agency ruled that, because the Denver bakery’s refusal to bake the cakes was based on the perceived offensive message the customer wanted, and not based solely on the customer’s religion, there was no discrimination.

“The baker said ‘in the same manner [she] would not accept [an order from] anyone wanting to make a discriminatory cake against Christians, [she] will not make one that discriminates against gays. The evidence demonstrates that [Silva] would deny such requests to any customer, regardless of creed.”

The customer who brought the complaint against the Denver bakery can appeal the decision to the courts, although it is not clear, as of this post, if he intends to do so.